What Color is Shea Butter? Ivory, Yellow, or White?

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African Shea butter is a skin superfood and I love using it in all my DIY skincare formulas.
In my search for Shea butter I found that it is actually either ivory or yellow in color. Let’s look into this a little deeper as you might be confused around this topic.

What is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a natural product made from the shea tree, which grows in West Africa and has been used for centuries as an emollient for skin and hair. Shea butter is also used in cooking because it has a very mild flavor. The butter is known for its high content of oleic acid, which makes it particularly good for dry skin.

What Color is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a tree nut butter extracted from the kernels of the African shea fruit. The color can be some shade of brown, yellow, green, or black. The most popular colors are ivory, yellow, and white.

The Different Shades of Shea

So Many Factors Influence the Color

So many factors influence the color of Shea butter. Temperature, humidity, sunlight exposure, length of time in which it is exposed to light and heat are all factors that can affect the color of the shea butter. The color of the shea butter is also effected by how it is mixed with other ingredients.

The color of shea butter can also vary depending on the tree. The trees which produce the highest quality butter are those with smooth silver bark, located in the northern part of Ghana, where the altitude is just right.

The most processed shea butter is white in color. If you see yellow or orange colored shea butter chances are that it is just that color because of poor processing or that it has been mixed with something else.

1) White Shea Butter

If you are looking for refined Shea butter then this would be an option. I personally prefer unrefined Shea butter but I can understand that this might not be for everyone.
There are variations of the color “white” for shea butter.

1.1) Stark white Shea Butter is the common name for shea butter that has been ultra-refined. This type of white shea butter is used for commercial cosmetics because it has no odour or scent to it. The texture is also very smooth.

• Start white Shea butter is considered to be the most refined of shea butters. It’s also the whitest and has a smoother texture than yellow or off-white shea butters
• Filtered with no impurities
• Beneficial properties are practically non present although it can have moisturizing abilities
• Good for adding texture to cosmetic products but nothing else

2) Ivory Shea Butter

Off-white or ivory Shea butter has been refined and processed less than the stark white Shea butter. The texture is a little more grainy and it could even have a faint nutty-like scent reminiscent of Shea butter.

• Yellow, off-white or ivory Shea butter have been refined and processed less than the stark white Shea Butter.
• Some beneficial properties are still present
• Good for lip balms and to add texture and beneficial properties to DIY skincare

3) Yellow Shea Butter (Raw Shea Butter)

Yellow Shea butter has been refined less than the other two options. The texture is very smooth and it also has a nutty scent.

The yellow color seems to have been added in the process of making the butter with the aid of a particular flower – this is what I heard someone say although I have never known the real reason. This type is used for many natural beauty products, and some artisans like myself prefer it, although I can’t always get a hold of it.

• Shea butter with yellow tinge can also be called gold Shea butter
• Nutrients include Vitamins A, E and F
• Smells nutty (can be a strong smell to some)
• It is creamier and I find it really easy to work with
• It might contain impurities

Pure Shea Butter – What color is it then?!

There is no definitive answer on what color pure shea butter is. As seen above, it can range from ivory, yellow, or white depending on where it was processed and how it is made. If you’re looking for the BEST Shea butter, go for raw, pure, unrefined (sometimes referred to as ‘virgin Shea butter’). That way you get the most of all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

How to Pick the Best Quality White Or Yellow Shea Butter

When shopping for Shea Butter, you should look for a product that is pure and has no additives.
Follow the checklist below to make sure you are buying the best unrefined shea butter:

1. Smell the butter- should have a distinctive nutty smell
2. Butter should melt in your hands
3. Look for trustworthy retailer or product with great reviews
4. Finding impurities is not a problem (at least not for me)

My Recommendations

I have tried many types of Shea butter over the years, I personally can say I love yellow Shea butter. Having said this, the ivory type is also a great choice as it has less of a nutty smell to it and can feel less ‘heavier’.

I love the creamy texture of shea butter and how smooth it feels when I apply it to my skin. My next step should be cooking with it, I need to go back to the UK and get some more from Brixton Market!

1. Yellow Shea Butter

Here’s what I recommend:

2. Ivory Shea Butter

Here’s what I recommend:

Leave me your comments below.